We opened up the ranch to the public on a very small scale, beginning with our first public trail ride in November '02.  
It was a disaster!  You name it, it went wrong, from mesquite thorn flat tires on trucks and trailers, to broncy horses and nervous trail guides.  But as with any venture - they say “give it 5 years” - and here we are in 2008 and the growth and education we have experienced has been nothing short of humbling.  And OH, the tales along the trail!  We have been so blessed with a faithful client base, many who have become like family to us over the years.

From that first ride, our services have grown and continue to grow as we add more and more activities and options every year, from TRAIL RIDING to RANCH RODEOS, RANCH SORTINGS, RANCH RETREATS to COWBOY WEDDINGS.  And we have recently expanding our services to include year-round HAY PRODUCTION (round & sq), 2 COWBOY B&B's (bed & bales) experiences and we are now taking in outside horses for training (see the ACTIVITIES PAGE for a full description of our services). 

Under current management of Scott and Trina Miller, the cattle operation and equine branches respectively, take great pride in preserving the rich history and legacy of the Watterson Ranch for generations to come.  As they remain true to the traditional roots and values which the Ranch was founded on, the Miller's work hard to meet the modern standards and demands of 21st century Ranching.  That's a tall order to fill in 2008 with all the economic challenges we face, but they humbly plug along.

Scott and Trina live and work on the ranch with their 3 children:  daughters, Callie (10) & Cate (3) and recently welcomed the arrival of their son, Samuel Watterson Miller, born July 3rd.


Photo taken by Emily Allen

 THE HISTORY BEHIND WATTERSON, TX:
WATTERSON is located in southern Bastrop County about nine miles south of the town of Bastrop, on an old road between Bastrop and Red Rock. Named for pioneer Charles Coffin Watterson, who with his wife, Martha, settled in the area about 1852 and began farming and stock raising. Samuel and Caroline Wolfenbarger were also among the community's early settlers, most of whom depended on farming and stock raising for a living.

A post office with the name Live Oaks was established in 1878 with Charles Coffin Watterson as postmaster.  In 1891 the town was renamed in his honor. In 1896 the community had a population of 100, a Methodist Church, a gristmill and gin and general store.  Students attended the Lentz Branch and Hilbig schools, which combined to form the Watterson School House in 1900.  The post office closed in 1904, and the Watterson School House was consolidated with the Eight Live Oaks School's in 1927.
 
In the 1930s Watterson still had a community club and Methodist Church. By 1962 many of the large farms had been broken up, but Watterson remained a farming community made up in large part of descendants of the early settlers. Though no population figures appear for it in any twentieth-century Texas Almanac, in the mid-1980s Watterson continued to be listed as a community in Cities and Towns of Texas and to appear on county highway maps.

**The above history of Watterson, Texas was taken from The Handbook of Texas Online.**

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bill Moore, Bastrop County, 1691-1900 (Wichita Falls: Nortex, 1977).
 D. L. Vest, Watterson Folk of Bastrop County (Waco: Texian Press, 1963).
 D. L. Vest, Watterson, A Texas Rural Community (M.A. thesis, St. Mary's University, 1946).

RSVP  NOW!